Choices about who's in or out on Tipperary panel will have to be made very soon

Liam Cahill’s search for talent continues as we reach deeper into January and get ever closer to the league launch in early February. The Munster League game against Kerry on Sunday produced a runaway second half for Tipperary after a distinctly unimpressive first period.

Losing a hurling game to Kerry is never an option. It happened in this competition two years ago and set the tone for the entire season. Mind you, the first half on Sunday at Nenagh had us thinking the unthinkable yet again.

Kerry were in lively mood, full of running and combination against a sluggish-looking Tipperary outfit. We were struggling to keep pace, looking toothless in attack and unsafe at the back, with our inside defence in particular under the cosh against Kerry’s best line.

Eventually we leaked a goal and came very close to a second when the Kingdom’s best move of the afternoon ended with Luke Crowley (Johnny’s son) flashing over a point when a goal was on. It was worrisome, though Tipperary recovered sufficiently to take a three-point edge to the dressing room and thereafter it was one-way traffic.

Conor Bowe showed up well in that opening half, overlapping up the left flank to hit two sweet points. As a more accustomed forward he has that capacity, though further evidence will be needed to see if he has the necessary defensive qualities to complement the attacking flair.

Sean Kenneally started brightly with our two opening points; by game’s end he was widely acknowledged as the best on show. On paper our starting full forward line looked potent but neither Mikey O’Shea nor Mark Kehoe could gain any traction, though in the second half Kehoe had a few items of redemption, including the point of the game.

Otherwise, there were individual items of note in that opening half. Barry Heffernan has endured tough times between injury and illness so it was pleasing to see him back and clipping over three neat points. Cian O’Dwyer will be happy enough with his performance too.

However, we’d have liked to see more security in defence, where Brian McGrath struggled at times at full back and Killian O’Dwyer was unfortunate to suffer a first half injury.

The second half presented an entirely different story. Whether it was a case of Kerry flagging or Tipp flourishing, it’s difficult to say; probably an element of both in these heavy, early-season conditions. Either way we got the crucial goal-break after about twelve minutes and never looked back thereafter.

Once again it was Sean Kenneally who initiated the main moment of the half, cleverly breaking the ball into his own path. Eventually, in the follow-up, Cian O’Dwyer was taken out for the penalty, which Gearoid O’Connor tucked away. Should it have been a black card for that goal-denying foul? Of course it should.

The manner in which the cynical foul rule has been watered down through refereeing interpretation is really irritating. There was another great example later in the half when the Kerry defence was turned over as they tried to work the ball out. Mark Kehoe got possession and was careering through with plenty of goalscoring options by way of either shooting or passing. He was inside the D when brought down from behind. Once more the cynical foul rule was ignored in yet another cop-out by the official, who merely gave a free and issued a yellow card.

Incidentally, Kerry collected a number of yellow cards in that second half as the heat came on; at least one should have been red for an obvious strike.

Anyway, it was all free-flow from Tipperary in the second period. Ten subs were introduced in total and to their credit they enhanced the overall effort. Kerry had no response, hitting a mere three second half points.

In the end it was a satisfactory outcome but I wouldn’t overplay it beyond that. There’s a challenge game this Sunday against Clare at the same venue, which might be more instructive depending on the Banner lineout. Then the following week we have the game with Limerick in support of the Dillon Quirke Foundation, which also has the potential to be a much better examination of player potential.

As the league launch approaches, I would expect the management to start introducing some of the more established players. That opening match in the league at Parnell Park will be no puck-about and a bright start will be important to our season.

For the cohort of triallists who were brought on board before Christmas, time to impress is now running out. Only a handful are likely to be retained when the cut is made.

You would expect the bulk of last year’s panel to be still involved, apart from retirees such as Seamus Callanan and Niall O’Meara, as well as a few others who haven’t done enough to earn retention. That leaves limited scope for promotions, though these triallists will be viewed as a back-up extension of the main panel.

Many are called but few are chosen, if I may quote the Bible in a hurling context. Liam Cahill and colleagues haven’t been shy about calling guys in, but very soon now the choices will have to be made. Games like last Sunday will have played just a small part in the selection process. Anyway, there will be much interest in the final pick.

Elsewhere, I noted with interest the comments made by Munster Council Chairman, Ger Ryan, at the provincial AGM recently, where he referenced such areas as the rising costs of county teams and the role of the GPA, among other items. His points were well made and find an echo in this column.

Following the Tipperary Convention, I highlighted the extraordinary increases in costs that were outlined at that meeting. In many cases those increases were of the order of 20/25 percent. And this was after a miserably disappointing year for the county on the playing fields.

When the figures were outlined at Convention, not a single delegate commented. Coverage of the figures in the local media was modest enough; nationally I can’t recall any mention of the Tipperary figures, though I may have missed some reference.

It seems as if nobody is bothered, yet this trend has massive implications for the association generally. It’s a runaway train and yet nobody seems to know where the brakes are. We’ve been familiar with heavy costs at senior level for some time but now it’s extending through all grades, where backroom teams have ballooned and training schedules exploded.

The role of the GPA in these increases is major. I’m well aware of the great work being done by the players’ association in the area of player welfare, but the financial demands it makes on the association need to be checked. The elite players are a very small minority of the playing population, yet they seem to be holding the entire organisation to ransom when it comes to costs.

At present there are moves afoot to integrate the Camogie Association and the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association into the GAA. Imagine the financial implications of that process, where inter-county camogie players and ladies’ football players get the same allowances as their male counterparts.

Of course, from an equality perspective their case is inarguable. However, the financial impact would be insupportable.

Ger Ryan is right to raise these issues, delivered in his characteristic mild-mannered way. His views need to be amplified because the organisation is heading towards a major crisis unless action is taken.

P.S. I was taken aback by the size of the attendance at Nenagh on Sunday last for what was a nothing game. The appetite for hurling is alive and kicking.

P.P.S. Good luck to the Tipperary teams, Thurles CBS and Nenagh CBS, in this Saturday’s Harty Cup semi-finals. Wouldn’t another all-Tipp final be magical?